A spokesman for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) said today (June 2) that ex-gratia payment is being made to personnel engaged in recreation and sports programmes organised or subvented by the LCSD, including coaches and instructors, to relieve the impact of the pandemic. The ex-gratia payment is being offered to those directly engaged by the LCSD, or sports coaches and staff hired by National Sports Associations (NSAs) or sports organisations (SOs) subvented under the Sports Subvention Scheme, or sports coaches from NSAs or SOs who were engaged by the LCSD through the Direct Purchase Authority Management System to provide services. The ex-gratia payment is equivalent to the amount of their original remuneration for cancelled programmes scheduled to commence or to be held from January 29 to March 31.
      
     Coaches and personnel benefiting from this subsidy scheme are not required to submit applications. The LCSD will release the ex-gratia payment to the personnel directly or through the relevant NSAs and SOs. Disbursement of the ex-gratia payment began in May and is being carried out in batches.
      
     In addition, the LCSD will make the same arrangement and provide ex-gratia payment to instructors and speakers of seminars, workshops and training courses organised by the Hong Kong Public Libraries and the Music Office whose programmes were cancelled and could not be rescheduled due to venue closure, school suspension or the pandemic.

     A 43-year-old man was sentenced to immediate imprisonment for three weeks by the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (June 2) for violating the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C).

     The man was earlier issued a compulsory quarantine order stating that he must conduct quarantine at a designated hotel in Central for 14 days. When the Police were deployed at the scene on May 20, he was found to have left the place of quarantine and taken off his electronic wristband without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer before the expiry of the quarantine order. He was charged with contravening sections 8(1), 8(4) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today to immediate imprisonment for three weeks.

     A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching a quarantine order is a criminal offence and that the Government will not tolerate such actions. The spokesman reiterated that compliance with quarantine orders is of paramount importance in Hong Kong's fight against COVID-19.

     Pursuant to the Regulation, save for exempted persons, all persons who have stayed in the Mainland, Macao or Taiwan in the 14 days preceding arrival in Hong Kong, regardless of their nationality or travel documents, will be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Moreover, pursuant to the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E), starting from March 19, all persons arriving from countries or territories outside China would also be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Breaching a quarantine order is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months. The DH solemnly reminds persons under quarantine to comply with the statutory requirements and conduct quarantine for 14 days.

     A woman was fined $6,000 at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (June 2) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.

     The courts heard that in August last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Wing On Street in Peng Chau. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.

     According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The woman responsible for managing the premises was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.

     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and can lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.

     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".

     Two men were each fined $4,300 at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (June 2) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.

     The courts heard that in October last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on Elgin Street in Central, which had been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC).

     During the investigation, the OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food and drinks without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club as members. Also, the club's staff failed to show the registered drawing upon the OLA officers' request. Conditions 10 and 12 of the CoC were breached.

     The two men, being the manager of the club and the CoC holder of the club, were charged with contravening section 21(1) (a) and section 21(2) of the Ordinance respectively.

     A spokesman for the department reminded all CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement actions will continue to be taken against illegal club operations.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at noon today (June 2), one COVID-19 confirmed patient (case number: 1042) was discharged from hospital in the past 24 hours. So far, a total of 1 038 patients with confirmed or probable infections have been discharged.
 
     At present, there are 651 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals with 1 211 negative pressure beds activated. A total of 50 confirmed patients are currently hospitalised in nine hospitals, among which two patients are in critical condition (case numbers: 595 and 1084), and the remaining 48 patients are in stable condition.
 
     The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.